An edition of Slam dunks and no-brainers (2005)

Slam dunks and no-brainers

language in your life, the media, business, politics, and, like, whatever / Leslie Savan

1st ed.
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Last edited by MARC Bot
May 21, 2025 | History
An edition of Slam dunks and no-brainers (2005)

Slam dunks and no-brainers

language in your life, the media, business, politics, and, like, whatever / Leslie Savan

1st ed.
  • 4.0 (1 rating)
  • 1 Want to read
  • 1 Have read

Explores the continuously evolving mysteries and complexities of the English language from the perspective of what popular idioms reveal about American society and culture.

"In this marvelously original book, three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Leslie Savan offers fascinating insights into why we're all talking the talk--Duh; Bring it on!; Bling; Whatever!--and what this reveals about America today. Savan traces the paths that phrases like these travel from obscure slang to pop stardom, selling everything from cars (ads for VWs, Mitsubishis, and Mercurys all pitch them as "no-brainer"s) to wars (finding WMD in Iraq was to be a "slam dunk"). Real people create these catchy phrases, but once media, politics, and businesses broadcast them, they burst out of our mouths as celebrity words, newly glamorous and powerful. Witty, fun, and full of thought-provoking stories about the origins of popular expressions, Slam Dunks and No-Brainers is for everyone who loves the mysteries of language." -- Publisher's description

Publish Date
Publisher
Knopf
Language
English
Pages
340

Previews available in: English

Book Details


Edition Notes

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Published in
New York

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
302.23/0973
Library of Congress
P96.L342 U557 2005

The Physical Object

Pagination
viii, 340 p.
Number of pages
340

Edition Identifiers

Open Library
OL22715954M
ISBN 10
0375402470
LCCN
2005045142
OCLC/WorldCat
58546024
LibraryThing
413522
Goodreads
1254521

Work Identifiers

Work ID
OL3479864W

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{{cite book|author=Leslie Savan |date=2005 |title=Slam dunks and no-brainers |url=https://archive.org/details/slamdunksnobrain0000sava |publication-place=New York |publisher=Knopf |isbn=0-375-40247-0 |lccn=2005045142 |oclc=58546024 |ol=22715954M}}